Speed Up Your Mac mini M1 — Storage & Performance Guide
Your Mac mini M1 (Apple M1, 2020) is built to be fast, but Time Machine local snapshots. This guide covers the most effective storage and performance fixes for this exact model — from free manual tricks to one-click cleanup with OptiClear.
Top Performance Tips for Mac mini M1
Restart weekly to clear RAM, keep at least 15% of your 256 GB to 2 TB drive free, disable login items you don't need, and run OptiClear monthly to clear caches and orphaned app files.
Manual Cleanup Steps
- Quit the app completely (⌘+Q in the menu bar).
- Open Finder and press ⌘+Shift+G to open "Go to Folder".
- Paste this path and press Enter:
~/Library/Caches - Select the files you no longer need and move them to Trash. Empty Trash to reclaim the space.
Manual cleanup is tedious and easy to get wrong. OptiClear scans your entire Mac in seconds, finds every related file, and removes them safely — files always go to Trash first, never permanent deletion.
Download OptiClear — Free for macOSOne-Click Cleanup with OptiClear
Manual cleanup is tedious and easy to get wrong. OptiClear scans your entire Mac in seconds, finds every related file, and removes them safely — files always go to Trash first, never permanent deletion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to delete these files manually?
Yes — files in ~/Library/Caches are app-generated and safe to remove after quitting the app. Risk level: . macOS or the app will recreate anything still needed.
Will I lose my settings or data?
Manual removal of the support folder resets the app to defaults. To keep settings, back up the location first or use OptiClear's selective cleanup.